Transporting a car on a trailer is never much fun, especially if you need to move it through a city. Navigating a trailer takes a lot of practice and some skill. Plus, guiding a trailer with a heavy vehicle on top of it creates even more issues. Picking the right trailer is incredibly important, and will often be the difference between a successful transport and one that is filled with headaches. You need to consider these things when choosing a transport trailer.
The Weight
The weight of the trailer itself is important. A car can weigh well over 1000 kg; if you do not have a very powerful car for towing, you will already be putting a lot of stress on the engine. A low-profile car transporter trailer can easily weigh over 600 kg itself. That weight increases when you invest in trailers that have more features, such as enclosed trailers and multi-vehicle trailers. So it’s important that you begin with a good foundation.
A trailer is going to be heavy no matter where you get it. All you can hope for is buying the best possible trailer that will be as lightweight as it is feasible. That will reduce the amount of stress on your towing vehicle as well as save you a good deal of money on petrol.
The Height
The height of a trailer is important, especially if you plan to get vehicles onto the trailer without their own power. It’s also important if you deal with tight spaces. A high trailer requires a lot of power from the car to get up onto the trailer and/or a very long ramp. If you don’t have a lot of space or if the engine is not at full-power, you need a lower trailer. That way, you’ll be able to winch or push the car onto the trailer by hand.
Winch and Post
Many people choose to add a winch to their trailer so they can pull a car onto it easily. They won’t have to worry about starting the car or whether the car is operational. If you deal with many damaged vehicles, this could be a good choice. When you choose a winch and post option for your trailer, you need to choose very carefully.
Every winch is rated to a certain amount of kilograms. You’ll need to make sure that the post you choose can handle the amount of torque created by the winch, and that the winch can pull everything you need it to pull. When you’re thinking about the pulling, you should keep in mind that the weight is increased by gravity and other factors. That means a 1500 kg vehicle only weighs that amount when sitting on level ground. If you try to pull it up a hill, the force of gravity will make its effective weight much higher.
The same is true for vehicles stuck in mud or sand. Keep the height of your trailer and the nature of your needs in mind when assessing if a winch is strong enough.
